Chapter 202: Stefan's Hidden Worries

Irene couldn’t help but chuckle. "Alright, but why didn’t you want to get married before?" Stefan was still smiling, but unlike his usual carefree demeanor, there was now an undercurrent of something darker and more complex in his expression: "When I was young, life at home was good, and my parents were very much in love. But later, they both passed away." Irene's eyes narrowed slightly. She recalled the time Stefan had used the dark web to hire them for a hit. Typically, a regular businessman wouldn’t even know how to access the dark web, let alone hire a mercenary team through it. Hiring a hitman was one thing, but going through the dark web to hire mercenaries was another. How did Stefan know about this? And now he was saying that his parents had passed away? Stefan’s smile was faint: "After they died, I went through a very difficult time, constantly hiding from enemies. There was no time to make friends; all my time was spent improving myself and seeking revenge. Later, I worked my way up to where I am now, and while I have more people around me, I know most of them are there for my money and resources." Irene looked up at him, her honey-brown eyes clear as day: "You find it hard to trust anyone genuinely." "Exactly. In business, there aren’t many true friends." Harper, who was standing nearby, had a somewhat contorted expression. He wanted to laugh but didn’t dare. The boss wasn’t wrong. But his situation wasn’t as tragic as he made it out to be. Before the deaths of Stefan’s parents, they had actually entrusted him to a part of the family’s overseas operations. This was a plan the family had set in motion generations ago to protect the bloodline—sending part of the family overseas to expand their influence as a precaution against any calamity that might befall the main family. Every year, the main family would provide funds and resources to this overseas branch. Only the patriarch and two elders of the family knew about this arrangement. After being sent overseas to avoid disaster, Stefan began to study diligently. When Stefan mentioned his "family," he was referring to these overseas relatives. Harper had met Stefan while working as a bodyguard during his time abroad. Stefan turned slightly and gave Harper a knowing look, as if aware of what Harper was thinking. Harper immediately lowered his head, pretending nothing had happened. Stefan then looked back at Irene, his gaze calm: "You’re the first real friend I’ve ever had." That statement was entirely true. Even though Stefan was taken in by the overseas relatives, life wasn’t exactly pleasant. The older generation remained loyal to the main family and cherished the family’s legacy, but the younger generation, having seen more of the world, didn’t identify with their roles. They believed that their success was the result of their own hard work, not the main family’s influence. Who needed loyalty in this day and age? They saw an opportunity to break away from the main family, which they viewed as a liability—especially since the main family was one of the largest criminal organizations in Q country, with global operations. If something happened to the main family, they didn’t want to be dragged down with them. When Stefan was young, his opinions carried little weight. People either dismissed him or treated him with condescending affection, telling him: "You're still young. We’ll talk when you’re older." Winning over those younger family members took considerable effort from Stefan. In the overseas branch of the family, Stefan was the leader, the next head of the family, and held the highest status. Consequently, he had no true friends. Irene could sense that Stefan was being sincere, but he was still hiding something. Stefan looked at Irene with earnest eyes: "I didn’t intend to keep things from you. In my heart, you’re already my future wife." "I don’t want my family’s past to affect you. My father regretted marrying my mother, as it led to her death alongside him. I don’t want my enemies to come after you one day." Irene raised an eyebrow. Fair enough. Everyone has their secrets. Even she hadn’t told him everything about the dark web. Irene gently placed her hand on Stefan’s cheek: "If anything happens, you must tell me. I can help." Stefan held Irene’s hand. He had originally thought of this as a cliché line from a romance movie, but when he looked into Irene’s eyes, he found himself speechless. Those eyes were filled with genuine concern. And a resolute, proud strength. Stefan couldn’t help but smile. Yes, Irene had always been like this. He had worried that Irene would be upset about him keeping things from her, but now, Stefan felt relieved. Irene embraced Stefan’s back, lost in thought. What had her teacher told Stefan back then? Why had she chosen Stefan as her future husband? Irene gently stroked Stefan’s smooth, muscular back, her brow slightly furrowed. A cursed fate? A prophecy? Irene asked: "Did my teacher, I mean, Ms. Kelly, tell you anything else?" Given that this man had kept things from her for so long, she didn’t think it was too much to ask a few questions. Stefan answered seriously: "I already told you before—she said that only by marrying the eighth lady of the Norman family would I have a chance of living past thirty." Irene, still nestled in Stefan’s arms, made a somewhat speechless expression. That wasn’t what she had wanted to ask. Stefan chuckled softly: "I used to think that prophecy was fake. It’s not that I didn’t believe it; I just didn’t want to." Irene understood Stefan’s feelings. If she were in his shoes, bound by a strange prophecy to marry someone she didn’t know and might not even like, she wouldn’t be happy about it either. Maybe that was why they got along so well—they shared that common ground. Irene took a deep breath. She recalled the incident where someone had tampered with Stefan’s gun: "I can help you find out who messed with your handgun…" Stefan gently shook his head, smiling as he interrupted her: "No, I now believe that prophecies are just prophecies." His gaze was deep: "When people learn about the future and try to change it, their choices often end up leading to the very outcome the prophecy foretold." "But I know that I love you simply because I love you. It has nothing to do with the prophecy." A rare hint of confusion crossed Irene’s beautiful face. Stefan sighed quietly, holding the girl in his arms even tighter: "I’m sure that you’re the one I want to marry, my one and only wife." Irene tried to lift her head to look at Stefan, struggling slightly in his embrace. The atmosphere between them was just right.